High above the sky, a lone figure was slowly flying toward the top of the Tree of Life.
"That was way too close!" Rimuru sighed in relief. "Good thing I reacted in time, or I wouldn't be around to see the sunrise tomorrow." He patted his chest, still a little shaken.
"But now… I wonder if that plan will actually work." Rimuru's lips curled into a mysterious smile as he picked up speed.
Before long, he reached the very top of the Tree of Life.
"This is really high up!" Rimuru looked down at the city that looked like a miniature model beneath him and couldn't help but gasp. "This tree's massive—it's basically an entire forest on its own!"
He retracted his wings and stood atop the leafy crown of the tree.
"Hope this works…" Rimuru murmured, hyping himself up. "Alright, let's do this!"
He pressed his palms together, and the energy within him began to gather. A cube formed between his hands—crafted from pure spatial energy, a perfect hexagon glowing with a soft blue light.
"Open!"
With a soft chant, the cube exploded into a glowing blue barrier, slowly enveloping the surrounding treetop in a shimmering dome.
As the barrier completed its formation, Rimuru began infusing it with spatial magic. The inner space started to swell like an inflating balloon, while the outer dimensions remained unchanged.
The more energy Rimuru poured in, the more the inner space expanded—ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times… Eventually, it grew so large, it could rival the entire Jura Forest in size.
"Perfect!" Rimuru clapped his hands in joy. "Looks like my idea actually worked. They're going to love this surprise!"
With a bright smile, Rimuru flew cheerfully back home.
"Master!" Ranga rushed over, having caught Rimuru's scent.
"Good boy." Rimuru patted Ranga's head and skipped off humming.
"Master seems to be in a really good mood," Ranga said, tilting his head before trotting after him.
—
Early the next morning, Rimuru was already up and about, calling the guild members to get ready for the big project.
"Why so early…" Violet muttered groggily, her eyes barely open. "Lack of sleep ruins your skin, you know…"
"Maybe there's some emergency?" Benimaru yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to stay alert.
"Zzzzzzz…" That was Garp—yes, the man was somehow sleeping standing up.
"I expect a very good explanation for this," Whitebeard said sternly. He was not a morning person.
As the group gathered and murmured their complaints, Rimuru strolled out, beaming with joy.
"Everyone's here. Great!" he said, delighted by the turnout.
"So, Rimuru, would you care to explain why we were summoned at this ungodly hour?" Violet asked, clearly irritated.
"I didn't say why?" Rimuru tilted his head, confused. "Didn't I mention we were building the guild today?"
"Did you?" everyone shouted in unison, enraged.
"Maybe… not?" Rimuru mumbled, seeing the murderous looks on their faces.
"So you dragged us out here just for that?" Whitebeard's fists clenched as a divine white aura shimmered faintly around him.
"My deepest apologies," Violet said coldly, lifting a massive sword.
"Zzzzzzzzz…" Yep, Garp was still asleep.
"But it's morning! Early to bed, early to rise is good for your health," Rimuru defended weakly.
"It's 4:30 AM," Shizu said with a blank stare.
After giving Rimuru a thorough scolding, everyone's tempers cooled, and they followed him to the top of the Tree of Life.
"What is this thing?" Shuna asked, looking at the huge blue barrier.
"Heh heh heh…" Rimuru snapped his fingers dramatically. "Come with me, and you'll see."
With Rimuru leading the way, the group stepped inside the barrier.
"This is unreal!" Whitebeard exclaimed. "It looked small on the outside, but inside... it's an entire world!"
"Is this the surprise you mentioned?" Violet asked in amazement, clearly not expecting something like this.
"That's right." Rimuru puffed out his chest. "I created a miniature world, just as big as the Jura Forest. So? Pretty amazing, huh?"
"As expected of Lord Rimuru!" Diablo praised. Destroying a world was easy for demons of their caliber—but creating one? That was another matter entirely.
"So—let's get building!" Rimuru declared.
"Yeah!"
Everyone sprang into action. Some went off to gather materials, while others began constructing buildings. It was chaotic at first, but as the work progressed, they grew more coordinated, and the pace picked up.
At the center, they all worked together to build a massive structure to serve as the guild's headquarters.
That's when Rimuru's pride turned to horror.
Because the building… was modeled after his slime form.
Yes, a giant, blue slime-shaped house—like a monument to embarrassment. Rimuru turned bright pink, even in his slime form.
Whitebeard and his sons built a ship-shaped house modeled after the Moby Dick.
Sengoku and his team recreated a building styled after the original Navy HQ.
And as for Rimuru's own faction? They… built multiple colored slime houses. Did no one consider how he might feel!? It was humiliating. (o_o)
Milim? She didn't build anything. She just moved into Rimuru's slime-house, claiming it was because she wanted to be close to her bestie—clearly just an excuse for being lazy.
As for the rest? While strange, at least the buildings were habitable.
But Ramiris… her "house" completely missed the point. Outside, it looked normal—but inside, it was a gigantic labyrinth. Anyone who entered might never come out again.